McCain tells NAACP school vouchers are cornerstone of education plan

Even knowing he was facing a basically hostile audience, Sen. John McCain pledged increased education support for low-income schools and African-American communities. McCain, known for his "shoot straight" approach, laid out his ideas forthrightly.

Unlike his opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, McCain took questions from the audience. Although his approach on school reform differs from NAACP desires, reports said that McCain hit a home run with his comments about FEMA's failure after Hurricane Katrina.

UPDATE: The NAACP has a live blog from the convention here. This link also will lead you to their live webcasts. Enjoy!

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From the Baltimore Sun (highlight isn't working right now):
"Saying that African-Americans endure public schools' worst problems, Republican presidential hopeful John McCain told the NAACP today that school choice would be a cornerstone of his education platform.

"Senator Obama dismissed public support for private school vouchers for low-income Americans as 'tired rhetoric about vouchers and school choice,'" said McCain, taking aim at his Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama. "All of that went over well with the teachers union, but where does it leave families and their children who are stuck in failing schools?"

McCain pledged to offer bonuses to teachers working in the most troubled schools and expand scholarship opportunities for low-income students in struggling areas."

"For all the best efforts of teachers and administrators, the worst problems of our public school system are often found in black communities," he told nearly 3,000 members of the Baltimore-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People gathered at the Duke Energy Center for its 99th annual convention."

Full article here.